Ketamine Therapy in Victoria, BC

Physician-led ketamine therapy for adults with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, severe anxiety, and certain chronic pain conditions. Care is provided by Dr. Jeff Dufresne, CCFP, MD at Synergy Health Centre in Victoria, BC.

Request a Consultation

What is ketamine therapy?

Ketamine is a medication that has been used in clinical medicine since the 1960s, primarily as a sedative and analgesic in emergency rooms, operating theatres, and field medicine. Its safety profile is well established, and it remains a standard medication in those settings today.

More recently, research has examined the use of ketamine at lower, sub-anesthetic doses for the treatment of mental health conditions and certain chronic pain conditions. The body of clinical evidence supporting these applications has grown substantially over the past decade. In British Columbia, the College of Physicians and Surgeons has issued interim guidance recognizing the use of intramuscular ketamine for mental health and chronic pain indications in regulated community settings.

Ketamine therapy at Ketamine Keys is medical treatment delivered by a physician. The medication is administered in a private clinic setting, with monitoring throughout the session and structured support before and after each treatment.

The clinic’s approach

Ketamine Keys uses the term “ketamine therapy” to describe its model of care, which combines medication with structured preparation and integration support before and after each session.

Ketamine Keys uses a higher, dissociative dose administered intramuscularly, with psychotherapy and integration work taking place outside the active treatment session. During the session itself, the focus is on the safe administration of the medication and clinical monitoring of the patient.

Patients in active integration work either continue with their existing therapist, counsellor, or psychiatrist, or are referred to a registered psychologist with substantial experience in this work.

Why intramuscular administration

Ketamine can be administered through several routes. The clinic uses intramuscular (IM) injection. This route is well-suited to a regulated community-based clinical setting and is the form recognized in the CPSBC’s interim guidance for community ketamine therapy.

Conditions in scope

The clinic provides ketamine therapy for adults whose primary condition has not responded sufficiently to first-line care. Patients may self-refer or be referred by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or counsellor.

Request a Consultation

Treatment-resistant depression: Adults whose depression has not improved after multiple antidepressant trials and standard psychotherapy.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Including PTSD in veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors whose symptoms have not responded to conventional treatment.
Severe or treatment-resistant anxiety: When conventional medication and therapy have provided limited relief.
Chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia: Persistent pain conditions managed under physician care, where standard pharmacological and physical approaches have not produced sustained improvement.

The process in detail

Care follows a four-step framework. Each step has a clinical purpose, and the process is designed to be predictable from the patient’s first contact through the integration phase.

The consultation is a one-on-one assessment with Dr. Dufresne. It typically takes 45 to 60 minutes and covers medical history, current medications, prior treatment, the nature of the condition being addressed, and the patient's goals.

The consultation is structured to determine whether ketamine therapy is appropriate. There is no obligation to proceed afterward, and there is no fee to the patient for the consultation itself. If the assessment indicates that ketamine therapy is appropriate, the next steps are reviewed before any treatment is booked.

For patients accepted into care, preparation establishes what to expect on treatment day and addresses any psychological readiness work… During this phase, patients are provided with in-depth instruction pamphlets detailing clinical protocols, fasting requirements, and complete pre-session checklists to review before any active sessions begin.

The preparation phase also covers practical instructions: fasting requirements, transportation arrangements, what to bring, and what medications to continue or pause on the day of treatment.

Each treatment session lasts approximately one to two hours from arrival to discharge. The session itself is conducted in a private, low-stimulus treatment room.

After the patient is settled, the medication is administered by intramuscular injection. Onset of effect typically occurs within five to ten minutes. The dissociative phase generally lasts 45 to 60 minutes, during which Dr. Dufresne monitors the patient continuously. Vital signs are tracked throughout the session.

Most patients return to a normal level of consciousness within approximately two hours of administration. Once the patient is alert and stable, a brief check-in conversation takes place to discuss the experience and any immediate observations before discharge.

A driver to take the patient home is required. Patients are not permitted to drive on the day of treatment and should arrange not to perform demanding tasks for the remainder of the day.

Integration work happens after treatment and is typically coordinated with an existing therapist, counsellor, or psychiatrist. For patients without an existing care team, the clinic can refer to a registered psychologist with experience in this area.

Integration is where the experience of the treatment becomes useful in everyday life. It is structured therapy work, conducted by a registered psychologist or other qualified mental health professional, not by Dr. Dufresne directly.

What a treatment day looks like

Treatments are scheduled in the morning, as patients are required to fast for at least six hours before each session. Liquids are permitted up to the morning of the appointment unless otherwise instructed.

Patients arrive at Synergy Health Centre and are shown to the treatment room. A trusted person may accompany the patient to the clinic and remain in the building during the session.

After the session, the patient remains in the treatment room until fully alert and stable. A pre-arranged driver takes the patient home. Patients should not drive, operate machinery, sign legal documents, or make significant decisions for the remainder of the day. Some patients also choose not to work the following day, and this is discussed during preparation.

Regular prescription medications are generally continued on treatment day. As-needed medications such as benzodiazepines or sedatives should not be taken on the day of treatment without specific approval from Dr. Dufresne in advance. Alcohol should be avoided on the day of treatment.

The typical course of treatment

A typical course is six ketamine therapy sessions, conducted over a period of weeks at a frequency determined during the consultation. The course is designed to provide an effective initial treatment cycle, with subsequent assessment determining whether ongoing maintenance is appropriate.

Some patients respond well within the initial six-session course and require no further treatment. Others benefit from periodic booster sessions thereafter, scheduled monthly or quarterly depending on the clinical response. A separate maintenance option using nasal-spray ketamine and physician follow-up is also offered for patients whose clinical response indicates that approach is appropriate.

Outcomes vary substantially between patients. The clinic does not predict response, and there is no guarantee that ketamine therapy will produce the response the patient is hoping for. The consultation includes a frank discussion of what the evidence shows and what it does not.

Where treatment happens

Treatments are delivered at Ketamine Keys Medical Clinic, operating within Synergy Health Centre on Quadra Street in Victoria. The treatment room is private and designed for the focused, extended session that ketamine therapy requires.

Synergy Health Centre

3960 Quadra St #106, Victoria, BC V8X 4A3

Phone

(778) 557-2244

info@ketaminekeys.com

Fees and what's covered

Financing through third-party providers is available on request.

Initial consultation

No fee to the patient. If the assessment indicates that ketamine therapy is not appropriate, no fee is incurred. If the assessment leads to treatment, the consultation is included in the cost of the initial course.

Initial treatment course

(initial consultation plus six ketamine therapy sessions)
— $5,500

Booster treatment session

(after initial course)
— $1,250

Nasal-spray maintenance program

(one year of physician follow-ups and spray refills)
— $2,100

For Referring Professionals

Contact Dr.Dufresne Download Physician Referral Form

Ketamine Keys works with physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, and other mental health professionals across Vancouver Island who see patients who have not responded to standard care.

If you are a clinician and would like to discuss whether ketamine therapy may be appropriate for one of your patients, please get in touch. A direct conversation with Dr. Dufresne is the most efficient way to determine fit.

Things to know about Ketamine Therapy

Most patients describe the experience as a sense of dissociation, in which awareness of the body and surroundings becomes less direct. Visual or sensory perceptions can be altered during the dissociative phase. Patients are continuously monitored throughout the session and are not left alone. Onset is within five to ten minutes of administration, and the dissociative phase generally lasts 45 to 60 minutes.

The level of awareness varies between patients and depends on the dose. The dissociative phase is sometimes described as feeling close to being asleep, but patients are not under general anesthesia. Communication with Dr. Dufresne is possible if needed throughout the session.

This varies considerably between patients. Some patients report a noticeable change within the first few sessions. Others do not notice changes until later in the course or in the weeks that follow. The clinic does not predict outcomes and does not guarantee results. The consultation includes a discussion of what the evidence shows and what it does not.

In most cases, yes. Ketamine therapy can usually be provided alongside common antidepressants and other regular prescription medications. As-needed medications such as benzodiazepines and sedatives should not be taken on the day of treatment without Dr. Dufresne's approval. Every medication list is reviewed individually during consultation.

A typical initial course is six sessions, conducted over several weeks. Some patients require no further treatment after the initial course; others benefit from periodic booster sessions or a nasal-spray maintenance program. The clinical recommendation is made on a per-patient basis.

Spravato (esketamine) is a nasal-spray formulation administered in specialized clinics under a different regulatory pathway. Ketamine Keys provides intramuscular ketamine therapy, which is a different administration route. Both are forms of ketamine-based care.

Yes. Ketamine is an approved medication in Canada, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC has issued interim guidance recognizing the clinical use of intramuscular ketamine for mental health and chronic pain indications in regulated community settings. Ketamine Keys operates within that guidance.

Side effects can include short-term dissociation, mild nausea, elevated blood pressure, headache, and temporary fatigue. These are monitored throughout the session and discussed during preparation. Eligibility is assessed during consultation, and patients with conditions that would create safety risk are not accepted into treatment.